In the final game of the four-game series with the Pirates, the Phillies look to win the series after winning two of the first three. Kyle Kendrick will take the mound for the Phillies and A.J. Burnett will start for the Pirates.

Kendrick is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA against the Pirates in his career. He faced them twice earlier this year in releif appearances, and gave up one run over 1.1 innings.

Burnett faced the Phils and shut them down in the 2009 World Series, but overall, he has a 5-9 record against them to go along with a 5.13 ERA. The last time he faced the Phils was in June of 2010 and he gave up 6 runs over 3.1 innings before he was pulled–statistically one of his worst starts of the year.

Tap the Rockies today on this very warm, slightly humid afternoon. I’ve grown to take Coors for what it is, the best of the Big 3. It’s not going to wow you, but it will cool you off and sort of refresh you. On taste alone, St. Bernardus 12, it ain’t. But if you’re at CBP and in need a refresher, you could do worse, I think. It’s Coors, and it won’t kill you. Enjoy the game. -By Pat

Recommended for you

0 Comments

chuck schreiber

June 28, 2012 at 1:26 pm

Was late getting to TV, but upon turning it on the very first pitch I saw was McGhee’s three run shot than4 pitchs later Alvarez hit another. Game over. Going to cut grass and do something that counts. Unf—-g real.

i was out running some erands and forgot the phils were playing this afternoon. when i got into the house i’m like oh cool the phils are on! i turned the TV on and saw the end of the first. KK gave up FIVE count FIVE runs in the top of the inning. i turned the TV off! he sucks! he makes adam eaton look good on his worst day! i wish they could trade him and someone else for a good bullpen are! GO AWAY KYLE, WE’RE SICK OF YOUR ACT! i have other thing to do taday, watching KK pitch is not one of them.

And they have NO choice but to leave KK out there! He could let up 35 runs, and because of their stupidity yesterday, they have to let him stay out there and eat it. Unimaginably poor management. They knew at approx.10:30 Friday night they’d have to play the doubleheader, and it’s still affecting them the FOLLOWING Thursday.

They let Cloyd and Elarton pitch last weekend, I just don’t get it, they knew. Word should have been sent to skip those starts and throw a bullpen instead. It’s called PLANNING, it’s what real management does. Now they option Savery, DFA Qualls – stick KK in an impossible situation, and make them all the sacrificial lambs, instead of the god awful front office and Charlie. Is it too much to ask management to – I don’t know- manage the team?

I dont even know what in the hell he’s talking about to be able to reply… its funny that when they win two in a row, he posts how they have a chance ..etc…. and then they lose two, and the nonsense returns

A foul ball is just a strike, no matter how far it goes, and that “walk off bomb” was only the second or third hit he’s gotten as a bench bat. His other nineteen or twenty pinch at bats have ended in outs, mostly strikeouts. Look up his stats; you’re good at that. You’ll find that Thome has never been a good pinch hitter. He needs regular at bats, which he’s not going to get with the Phils.

Thome has 160 career PH ABs in 22 years. He’s never been asked to do it on a regular basis. 160 sporadic AB is not enough of a sample size to determine that he cannot adapt to being a successful full-time PH.

Maybe he cant, and he’d probably be better used in the AL as a DH, but we don’t have enough evidence to say that “he can’t pinch hit.”

Keep in mind there are two wild card slots this year. You are mocking Amaro like he has failed. The bottom line is 5 playoff appearances in a row. Thats a darn good track record and one that most teams would take in a heart beat.

The Phils have exactly ONE starter that was signed by Wade, unless you consider Kendrick to be anything more than a stopgap. No matter how good the “core” might have been, they would have gone nowhere without the guys added first by Gillick, then by Amaro.

By starter, I meant starting pitcher. Sure, the core has done their job, but I still say that the Phils wouldn’t have run off five straight without the additions made by Gillick and Amaro. In fact, they probably wouldn’t even have reached the playoffs in 2008 without Lidge, Werth, Eyre, and yes, even Moyer, all of whom were added after Wade was gone. They definitely wouldn’t have made it in 2009 without the signings (by Amaro) of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez.

I turned off the tv for the first time in years on the Phils. Some posts say KK settled down, but after that retina scarring first inning I had had enough. Have we been in the Twilight Zone the last two games? This season? Is the front office and Ruben comatose? C’mon Phils. Get fired up!

Amaro responding to why he didn’t bring up Cloyd:
• Asked why the Phils decided to have a bullpen game Wednesday instead of using one of their Triple-A starters like Tyler Cloyd, who is 7-1 with a 2.17 ERA and made the International League All-Star team, Amaro said, “We felt like the option that we had with starting [Raul] Valdes was the best option we had.”
Explains a lot. Boneheads.

I see an effort in the last 2 games – no wins of course but the team did not abandon effort. Yesterday Rollins was stranded on third to end the game. The game before, 2 runs in the 6th, 3 in the 7th before Qualls (go with peace my brother..) barfed.
At least the games can be interesting now, I hope!

brooks, it seems that you are confusing performance with effort. i.e. that if they are not succesful in mounting a rally, or at least a threat, they must be “abandoning effort”. Is that really what you mean?

To the above… Wade setup this core …. Gillick brought in the support pieces that worked (including Lidge!) … Amaro brought in Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, …. to think you make the same runs without that pitching staff is selling Amaro (and those pitchers) short.

Amaro needs to win a title, but to pretend he hasn’t had major impacts on the streak of NL East titles continuing is a little ridiculous